News For You/Launch Navan Library

"News For You" Launch: Navan Library

John Doyle

Peggy Murphy

Gary Rutherford

Edel Gillick

Sean Reilly

Edel Gillick who has taken over from Tommy Murray as the facilitator for the young writers' group in Navan Library gave an excellent introductory speech before introducing some of the contributors to the new or planned periodical which will be on sale from Thursday next. Edel was ably assisted by members of the Navan Creative Writers with Sean Reilly reminding us of what life was like growing up in Ireland of the fifties, or was that earlier, and I believe he has an article included as well as does Michael Sheils with a poem. John Doyle the well known photographer was on hand to remind everyone to hang on to their memories and photograph everything that is special and more, while Gary Rutherford of the Young Carers Association gave a lovely speech and recalled memories and a poem of the late and gifted Davoren Hanna. while Peggy Murphy read her poem "The Little House". More info of the newspaper and where it can be purchased to follow and it will be interesting to see where it throws a little light. Myself I had to leave early, Kilmessan and more finals and will get back to the newspaper again. Good luck to all on the project!

Michael O'Flanagan reads poems by Francis Ledwidge

This is a video I came across while scrolling through youtube and is from the launch of the Inchicore Ledwidge Society back in 1995, with Michael Ó Flanagan reading two poems by Francis Ledwidge at The National War Memorial at Islandbridge Dublin. Michael is also the editor of the poetry broadsheet "Riposte". And just as a reminder the Francis Ledwidge Poetry Award for 2013 has a closing date of the 5th of November but more on that to follow! With thanks to "MS Riposte" who posted.

Launch of Boyne Berries 14

Launch of Boyne Berries 14

Orla Fay, Kate Dempsey and Caroline Carey Finn

If you happen to be anywhere in the Meath area on Thursday night next and poetry or the written word is your gift then the Castle Arch Hotel in Trim sees the launch of "Boyne Berries 14" the literary magazine of the Boyne Writers Group. Always an interesting read and one that attracts submissions that are both local and from much further afield it is now firmly established on the literary scene. Kate Dempsey of the "Emerging Writer Blog" and well known poet is the guest editor this time (Link to the right) and the start time for the event is 8pm. A chance to mix and mingle and maybe read a poem or two with refreshments afterwards. See Boyne Writers website for further details. 

Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Awards 2013

Jonathan Swift Creative Writing 2013 (Saggart)

This year's competition has a closing date of the 30th of September, so pretty close to the date and get your entries in now. Must be the author's own work and not previously published or broadcast and not to exceed 45 lines. A cover charge of €4 per poem or three for €10 with a max of six in total typed in Times New Roman point 12 single spacing on plain white A4 sheet. Entries may be in Irish or English. The prose section. is restricted to one entry at €5, 1500 words max. The winners will be notified in advance and should be at the presentation to read their work on the 26th of October at the Heritage Centre Saggart. The Hennessy Award winner, Ms Maria Wallace, Catalan/Tallagh will judge the competition.

Address entries to: Margaret Ennis "Teach Giuise" Boherboy, Saggart, County Dublin.

Hugh Ó Flaherty Literary and Art Competitions 2013

Hugh Ó Flaherty Memorial Week/Literary and Art Competitions 2013

Here's an interesting one I came across on the Poetry Ireland info page and seems to be free to enter. Though check out at www.killarney.ie . Now, it has its own website on the competitions page above but it doesn't seem to load properly from this site. The closing date or deadline for entries is the 20th of September, and fast approaching, but you have the option of email as well as the post office. E-mail is to: jerry@killarney.ie and the postal address is: Hugh Ó Flaherty Competitions c/o Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce  2nd Floor Tourist Information Office Beech Road  Killarney County Kerry. Ireland

From Google Images

Wow, that was a long one! Now there are a number of different competitions but if poetry is your thing  you need to reflect in some way on the life work of the Monsignor and details with regard to rules and conditions can be found on the above sites. An interesting and larger than life figure Monsignor Hugh Ó Flaherty is perhaps best remembered as the Vatican Pimpernel for his war time exploits and a visit over to youtube will get you a sense of this with Gregory Peck playing the role in "The Scarlet and The Black" There are five competitions in all,  but as I said check out!                                                                 

The Meath Writers' Circle (Meeting/ September)

Monthly Meeting!

Ringlestown Rath
A good year for the harvest!

The Meath Writers' Circle had its second meeting for September last night in order to finalize details for the launch of our forthcoming book, or something like that. The funds are in place, the venue has almost been arranged or agreed on and a number of names have been proposed as to who should do the launch, with almost everyone having their own particular interest or favourite for the night!  All that remains is the book and getting the invitations out. More details to follow, I hope, and if it comes to pass you are more than welcome.

Father and Son as read by Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan is somebody with very strong connections to County Meath and is perhaps best remembered for playing James Bond and a few others as well but here reads the F R Higgins poem "Father and Son" which name drops many of the places or landscapes he would be familiar with. There is another reading of this on youtube which is worth a listen but this was loaded by "EchoBrosnan" so with thanks. 

F R Higgins/Book Launch.

F R Higgins/Book Launch (Father and Son: Selected Poems)

Christopher Gray  

For those of you with an hour or two to spare or an interest in the poetry world then Higginsbrook House Trim County Meath is the venue this Sunday for the launch of a selection of poems by F R Higgins. Frederick Robert Higgins was born in Foxford County Mayo in 1896 but spent his summers with his cousins at Higginsbrook and many of his poems are about Meath and the Boyne. This present selection is compiled by Dardis Clarke and Aidan Gray, a cousin of the poet and has an introduction by Joseph Woods of Poetry Ireland. Dardis Clarke was a son of Austin Clarke and I note from The Meath Chronicle that he passed away earlier this year. There is much more information in this week's edition of the paper and if you click on Michael Farry's blog over to the right some interesting material there as well and in more detail. The Scurlogstown Olympiad group and the late Tommy Murray and other members of The Meath Writers' Circle visited the grave each year to lay a wreath and this year's ceremony was performed by Christopher Gray who read the poem "Father and Son". The book will also be launched at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin on Monday and at The Mayfly Hotel, Foxford, County Mayo on Tuesday, If you want to hear a reading of the poem "Father and Son" then none other than Pierce Brosnan can be heard over on youtube.

"There are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves" by James Kavanaugh

This is one I got from Sean Reilly and is a poem by the rebel priest James Kavanaugh "There are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves! No doubt to few in Ireland as the wolf population grows by the day. I read somewhere once there was such a bounty on them and their skins were so valuable (wolves!) that they managed to exterminate then all by the early seventeen hundreds. No really, they just metamorphosed into the professions and continued on as before. They do that in Celtic countries, anyway give the poem a listen and see what you think.  With thanks to Nicholas Temple who posted on youtube.

Seamus Heaney 1939-2013

Seamus Heaney 1939-2013

Seamus Heaney/Tara 2010

The first poem I can remember by Seamus Heaney was from the early seventies or sometime back then when The Flying Column used it as an intro to Boolavogue. I may be way off on the dates or material but you can give it a listen on youtube if you stray across. It is one of those poems that tends to stay with you and seems to draw breath or change pace through the middle or maybe you need to stress a word or two that is not obvious from the page. Anyway it is very powerful and you can give it a listen or even maybe your own reading. Seamus I think was his own man and careful to distance himself from either side though I wouldn't be familiar with most of his work. I read through Death of a Naturalist again last night, or gave it a quick read through and many of the poems quoted in the newspapers seem to come from there. He was on Tara for Heritage Sunday in 2010 and the photo above comes from there. The excerpt from the poem is taken from "voices and poetry of ireland" and was the selection of Tommy Makem.

The hillside blushed, soaked in our broken wave.

They buried us without shroud or coffin

And in august the barley grew up out of the grave.

Requiem for the Croppies